A friend near Osaka sent a banner written in Japanese kanji. It hangs on the wall of my office, black scrawls on rough paper. I do not know what the characters mean. I do not read kanji. But what I think they mean is:

Mr. Flynn, the sea sparkles yet is crowded with monsters. Do not marry, Mr. Flynn. Weddings are white, however, the shoes are black.

In return I would write, in equally mysterious romaji:

Mr. Takahashi, the photograph of you and your bride, two dolls in formal clothes before an Australian chapel, made me smile. However, in the picture one year later your baby cries.